so i originally shot this for color but i have been wanting to build a better body of B&W ...let me know what I'm doing wrong or right.
this is a 2 shot vert pano
Ben Franklin Bridge
so i originally shot this for color but i have been wanting to build a better body of B&W ...let me know what I'm doing wrong or right.
this is a 2 shot vert pano
I think your B&W conversion is fine. Nice control of the full tonal range. But the sky really lets me down. I know you can't control the weather, but the bland sky is overpowering the rest of the image. I can't ell if there is any texture in the overcast sky, but maybe there is something in the original image that you can bring out to enhance the upper part of this shot.
My only other nitpicks are the little pieces of rock or wood on the left side of the image in the water. They line up with the reflection of the bridge tower and that's unfortunate.
Nope nothing there at all ....I could do a composite...I hadn’t noticed the wood in the reflection as a new to photography eye I have not yet learned to clear distractions I will note this for future outings ...damnit now it’s really annoying me THANKS Phillip!!!
and fixed ...tried a composite but the tension cables were being a pain
Hi Joe. I appreciate the classic composition of this image, and your pano stitching looks great - I can't see any evidence of seams or misalignment.
Your B&W conversion on the whole looks good, but as Phillip points out the sky lets the image down. I don't know if there was any detail in the original (be it color or tone) but if so could could likely recover that (eg using HSL prior to conversion).
If using LR I find the built in presets can offer a good starting point as another option - the red/orange filter for example may help extract detail
Outside of conversion I agree with Phillip once again that the water could be cleaned up.
I'm interested in your reasoning for conversion - I'm a firm believer that for some images B&W offers a lot more than color and that it should be considered from the outset.
Here's a link to an earlier blog I did on that subject if you are interested;
https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/2018/10/14/seeing-in-black-and...
I think you did a good job on this and would love to see results if you re-edit. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Alan!! I will try and make something of it.
Another good image, Joseph. Love that zigzagging reflection! Well composed, as usual.
The debris on the left would look OK to me if it didn't overlap with the tower reflection, as Phillip points out. Timing the shot differently, or if the water is stagnant here, moving right a foot or two could fix that. I actually think a little something in the water left of that zigzag balances the image. I imagine in your place perhaps even putting those sticks at lower right in the left corner (i.e. stepping further right still), which would take the other debris out of the way.
And I'm perfectly happy with the sky! It's such a quiet, calm image; for me that calm sky & calm water beautifully complement the strong, crisp forms of the bridge and other hard objects. It evokes a pleasant coolness too, somehow.
I almost always shoot, & think, colour, but like the monochrome a lot here.
Thanks Chris did you see the appended image I took out the debris
Yes, Joseph - it could do with a little something in that bottom left corner! I tried cloning those sticks in, but it looked like... well, it didn't work. Seriously, I do prefer the cleaned-up one. Should've made myself clearer.